


A New Beginning?

by jacquelee



Series: Writer's Month 2020 [7]
Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Addiction, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Missing Scene, but there is a hopeful ending, with the emphasis on hurt and little comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-08
Updated: 2020-08-08
Packaged: 2021-03-06 02:21:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 337
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25785805
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jacquelee/pseuds/jacquelee
Summary: After Laurel storms out of her own apartment and Oliver tells her that he's done, she goes to a bar and thinks about what her life is at the moment and what she wants it to be.Set during 2x14 between Laurel leaving and coming to Verdant to talk to Sara.
Series: Writer's Month 2020 [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1861585
Comments: 1
Kudos: 4
Collections: Writer's Month 2020





	A New Beginning?

**Author's Note:**

> Written for [Writer's Month 2020](https://writersmonth.tumblr.com) for the Day 7 prompt Hurt/Comfort.

When she stormed out of her apartment, Laurel just wanted to find the nearest bar, to get blackout drunk. To fall again into the cheap comfort of alcohol, of not having to think, of not having to hurt. She reached the first bar and ordered a drink, any drink, she didn't even pay attention what.

With every intention to just chug it and then get the next one, she raised the glass, but then she saw herself in the mirror over the bar and she stopped. Looking at herself, looking at what she had become made her pause. Oliver's words echoed in her head and she couldn't shake the feeling that he was right. 

She was running away, she was trying to drown her hurt in false comfort, in blaming everyone else instead of actually dealing with it. And that was not who she was. It was not who she wanted to be.

Looking into the mirror again, she suddenly realized that drowning had been all she had been doing for over six years. Ever since that boat sunk and took the two people most important to her, the two people who had betrayed her, she had just been surviving from day to day, trying to push down her feelings with whatever crutch she could find. 

Seeing Sara and Oliver together again had brought the feelings to the surface in form of anger, but that was not what she felt, that was not what she needed to address. Oliver was right, this was her life and her decision. She could either keep drowning or finally try to swim. Finally get to the other side by addressing the problems, addressing the pain she felt. No crutch would be able to help her, only she could do that. 

She put the full glass down and threw some money on the counter, leaving the bar and relishing in the cold air outside. It felt like a new beginning. 

And she knew where she had to go to truly start it.


End file.
